comsats case study

8/8/2019 Comsats Case Study

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Background

The Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) initiated the proposal for the formation

of Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South

(COMSATS). The TWAS at that time was steered by the Nobel Laureate from Pakistan,

Professor Dr. Abdus Salam. On his suggestion the Foundation Conference was held in

October 1994 in Islamabad. The Conference unanimously adopted the resolution for the

establishment of COMSATS. Within Pakistan major activities of COMSATS are taking

place through COMSATS Internet Services (CIS) and COMSATS Institute of

Information Technology (CIIT). The success of CIIT has inspired the establishment of

similar IT centers in Syria, Tanzania, Sudan, Jordan, Tunisia, and Iran.

Dr. Junaid Zaidis Background

Dr. Junaid Zaidi did his M.Sc. in Mathematics in 1971 and M.Sc. in Physics in 1972.

After that he served as a civil servant for some time. He started teaching in 1976, got a

scholarship and was able to complete his third M.Sc. Degree in Operations Research.

Eventually he did his PhD from University of Birmingham in 1984. He then worked for

the Ministry of Science and Technology. Later on, he joined UNO and was posted to

India. On his return he rejoined the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1997. He

envisioned something much bigger than government service and as a result he introduced

CIIT in 1998 with the objective of providing quality education and training in the field of

IT.

Early Days of CIIT

CIIT took a humble start in April 1998 with Dr. Junaid Zaidi just having one hundred

thousand rupees and few people by his side. The renovation work was started in the

building rented from the Higher Education Commission (HEC). In August 1998 short

computer courses for novice were launched followed by Post Graduate Diploma in

Computer. CIIT campus took off with one classroom and one computer lab with 16

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computers. Later on an office was hired from National Institute for Science and Technical

Education (NISTE).

In September 1999 three regular degree programmes i.e. Bachelor of Science in

Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Compute Engineering, and Master of Software

Engineering were launched, under the affiliation with Sir Syed University of Engineering

and Technology, Karachi. A meager 53 students were enrolled in these degree

programmes. Initially the faculty comprised of 20 members which were mainly

responsible for teaching besides other responsibilities (Exhibit 1).

As need for space increased, the Sir Syed Memorial centrally located in Sector G-5,

Islamabad was also hired in 2000. It was just a basement, for parking and an entirebuilding had to be constructed to make the space useful. Meanwhile CIIT was granted

Degree Awarding Status by the Federal Government on August 12, 2000. In September

2001 City Campus was hired in Shan Plaza Blue Area, Islamabad to establish the

Department of Management Sciences. The construction work was under progress at H-8

campus where the institute had to be shifted. For that purpose development grant of

Rs. 37 million was granted by the government but the actual expenditure came out to be

Rs. 47 million. Land was provided by the Higher Education Commission. Finally, the

H-8 campus was completed and all the departments and offices were shifted under one

roof in Fall 2002.

Dr. Junaid Zaidis Leadership Style

Dr. Junaid Zaidi was driven by the ambition of creating an institution with excellence in

teaching and research. Under his leadership CIIT has become one of the leading institutes

in Pakistan, with a well-established reputation and a wide range of interests and facilities.

Dedication and responsiveness to the needs of the students differentiates it from other

institutions. The institute is growing steadily. Since the time of its inception, the institute

has made significant strides in the field of IT. It is today a multi-campus institute fully

equipped to handle the dynamics of the faced paced IT industry.

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employees in making decisions. This is obvious from the fact that each CIIT campus is

autonomous and is run by the Campus Director who is responsible for the day to day

activities of the campus. Dr. Junaid Zaidis personality is characterized by his tremendous

ability to solve problems whenever and wherever they arise.

Dr. Junaid Zaidi through his character, ability, integrity, and honesty has won the trust of

his followers. He believes in practicing openness, being fair, showing consistency

between word and deed, fulfilling promises, maintaining confidence, and demonstrating

competence. His personal values and beliefs are very much reflected in the CIIT culture.

Apart from student academic development he strongly believes in student personal

development in nonacademic, non-career oriented areas, e.g. socially, emotionally, and

culturally.

Dr. Junaid Zaidi has a very good sense of humor which helps him to relieve tension and

boredom. He knows how to use humor to energize his followers. He believes humor

fosters good camaraderie.

CIIT Journey of Success

Since its genesis in 1998, CIIT has shown tremendous growth in all fronts. Faculty

comprising of 20 members at inception has grown into a faculty of 1,313 members during

a short span of time (Exhibit 2). Similarly, as compared to meager 53 students at

inception presently CIIT has approximately 13,458 full time students studying a wide

range of undergraduate, post graduate, and research degree programs (Exhibit 3).

CIIT has also shown remarkable achievements in terms of ranking its engineering degree

and the research productivity of its faculty members. HEC in 2006 has carried out an

exercise for the ranking of institutions of higher education in Pakistan. According to

HECs ranking of engineering universities, CIIT is placed at number 8 among the

engineering institutions of higher education (Exhibit 4).

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In terms of research output, CIIT has been ranked at number 7 amongst the institutions of

higher education numbering more than 114 in the country during 2006, as notified by

HEC. During 2007 faculty members in various fields have been able to publish 230

research articles. Consistent with its research culture CIIT has organized numerous

seminars and conferences. Recently, under the support of the Academy of Global

Business Advancement (AGBA), the Department of Management Sciences hosted its 1st

South Asian International Conference SAICON. Despite the deteriorating law and order

situation in the country the conference was very successful as several internationally

renowned researchers participated in the conference. The theme of the conference was

Globalization and Change: Concerns, Issues and Impact.

Driven by the needs of the students CIIT has extablish a number of new campuses and

has introduced new programmes which have resulted in a significant increase in the

enrollment. Presently, CIIT has six campuses at Islamabad, Abbotabad, Wah, Lahore,

Attock, and Sahiwal offering 41 different degree programmes in various disciplines(Exhibit 5). Establishment of campuses at Vehari, Gujrat, Toba Tek Singh, Larkana, D.I.

Khan, Karachi and Quetta are in pipeline. CIIT also plans to open its campuses overseas.

Dr. Junaid Zaidis vision to make CIIT a multi-campus institution is well in pursuit.

CIIT has undertaken and successfully completed several assignments of national and

international importance. Such assignments have resulted in establishment of new

organizations such as: Virtual University (2002); National Institute of

Telecommunications and Electronics (2002); Inter-Islamic Network on Information

Technology (2002); National Testing Service (2003); ISESCO Centre for Promotion of

Scientific Research (2004).

Dr. Junaid Zaidi puts enormous value to the professional development and quality of the

faculty as he strongly believes that improvement of the faculty is the route to excellence.

CIIT has made significant efforts for the development of faculty to provide them with the

latest skills, knowledge, and abilities. CIIT firmly believes that its faculty is its true

competitive advantage. In this regard young faculty is generously encouraged to apply to

all opportunities for advanced training both in-house and overseas.

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CIIT has witnessed phenomenal growth both in terms of its geographical spread and in

continuous expansion of its programmes and research output. From a single city, single

building campus of fewer than 300 students in 2000, today it proudly presents six

sprawling campuses with around 13,458 students and 1,313 faculty members and 41

academic programmes. Much of the appreciation for the accomplishments of CIIT goes

to effective leadership style of Dr. Junaid Zaidi.

Future Challenges

Although Dr. Junaid Zaidis vision to make CIIT a multi-campus institute is well in

pursuit the real challenge is to standardize the quality of education and research at all

campuses. Secondly, due to current economic and political slump in the country all the

institutions of higher education including CIIT are facing the problem of acquiring the

requisite financial resources to carry on their developmental projects. Presently, HEC has

a budget deficit of Rs. 8 billion (Dawn November 23, 2008). Under such circumstances

CIIT has an immense challenge on his hands to devise a system which can help it meet its

financial needs from internal sources. Thirdly, CIIT has enormous challenge to expand its

efforts to improve the much needed university-industry liaison. Much has to be done for

the career development of the students something seriously missing in educational

institutions of higher education in Pakistan. Finally, to continue the hard work of

Dr. Junaid Zaidi a thorough procedure for his succession planning has to be undertaken

i.e. a need to produce another leader within CIIT who is in line with the brilliance of

Dr. Junaid Zaidi.

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Exhibit 1: Faculty Strength at Inception

Table 1: Faculty Strength at Inception

1 01

6

12

0

Advisor

Professor

Associate Professor

Assistant Professor

Lecturer

Research Associate

Figure 1: Faculty Strength at Inception

S.No. Designation Faculty

1. Advisor 1

2. Professor 03. Associate Professor 1

4. Assistant Professor 6

5. Lecturer 12

6. Research Associate 0

Total 20

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Exhibit 2: Consolidated Faculty Strength as on October 2008

S.No. Designation Islamabad Abbottabad Lahore Wah Attock Sahiwal Tota

1. Advisor 15 5 7 2 1 1 32. Professor 18 12 5 1 - 2 3

3. Associate Professor 24 7 4 1 - - 3

4. Assistant Professor 111 76 89 30 5 2 31

5. Lecturer 326 182 162 84 28 11 79

6. Research Associate 63 14 13 1 9 2 10

Total 557 296 280 119 43 18 1,31

*includes 390 faculty on study leave; Islamabad 161, Abbottabad 101, Lahore 82,

Wah 40, Attock 6.

Table 2: Consolidated Faculty Strength as on October 2008

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Islam

abad

Abbo

ttaba

d

Laho

reW

ah

Attock

Sahiw

al

Advisor

Professor

Associate

Professor

AssistantProfessor

Lecturer

Research

Associate

Figure 2: Consolidated Faculty Strength as on October 2008

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313836

313

793

102

Advisor

Professor

Associate

Professor

Assistant

Professor

Lecturer

Research

Associate

Figure 3: Consolidated Faculty Strength as on October 2008

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Exhibit 3: Fall 2008 Total Student Enrollment

Discipline Wise

S.No. Academic Programs Islamabad Lahore

Abbottabad Wah Attock Sahiwal Total

Bachelor of Science in:

1 Computer Science 300 282 154 65 23 14 838

2 Telecommunication & Networking 397 153 13 563

3 Computer Engineering 500 347 492 452 1791

4 Telecommunication Engineering 792 678 1470

5 Electronics Engineering 1137 1137

6 Power Engineering 333 333

7 Chemical Engineering 575 575

8 Business Administration 579 479 569 233 115 58 2033

9 Mathematics 96 96

10 Electronics 278 278

11 Bioinformatics 217 217

12 Economics 43 43

13 Environmental Sciences 129 129

14 Earth Sciences 94 94

15 Chemistry - 0

16 Bio Sciences 44 44

17 Physics 27 35 62

Bachelor of:

18 Architecture 135 63 198

Master of:

19 Computer Science 2 9 10 21

20 Business Administration 452 672 418 441 108 245 2336

21 Business Administration (1 Year) 80 36 11 127

22 Project Management 30 30

23 Development Studies 145 145

Master of Science in:

24 Computer Science 68 32 55 155

25 Health Informatics 28 28

26 Computer Engineering 35 39 74

27 Management Sciences 50 21 55 126

28 Mathematics 56 11 30 97

29 Physics 87 87

30 Meteorology 45 45

31 Biosciences 32 32

32 Biotechnology 0


PhD in:

34 Computer Science 7 7

35 Computer Engineering 1 1

36 Management Sciences 9 9

37 Mathematics 19 19

38 Physics 38 38

39 Biosciences 17 17

40 Biotechnology - 0

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42 Doctor of Pharmacy 102 102

Total 4022 3233 4264 1353 256 330 13458

Table 3: Fall 2008 Total Student Enrollment

Campus

Session Islamabad Lahore Abbottabad Wah Attock Sahiwal

Fall 1999 53 0 0 0 0 0

Fall 2004 2378 1333 1276 809 94 0

Fall 2008 4022 3233 4264 1353 256 330

Table 4: Student Enrollment of all Campuses Fall 1999, Fall 2004, and Fall 2008

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Fall 1999 Fall 2004 Fall 2008

Sessions

No.ofStudent

Islamabad Abbottabad Lahore

Wah Attock Sahiwal

Figure 4: Student Enrollment of all Campuses Fall 1999 to Fall 2008

Exhibit 4: HEC Ranking of Universities 2006

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NB!

The rankings published are on the basis of data for the years 2001-2002,2002-2003 and 2003-2004.

The rankings are based on data collected on the following key issues with relative

weights for each provided respectively: Students (17%), Facilities (15%),Finances (15%), Faculty (27%), and Research (26%).

Source: www.hec.gov.pk

EXHBIT 5: Rector S. M. Junaid Zaidi (SI)

S.No. Top Ten Engineering Universities of Pakistan1 Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad

2 National University of Sciences & Technology, Rawalpindi

3 Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering, Swabi

4 University of Engineering. & Technology (UET), Lahore

5 Mehran University of Engineering. & Technology (MUET), Jamshoro

6 University of Engineering. & Technology (UET), Taxila

7 National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad

8 COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad

9 NWFP University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar

10 NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi

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http://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_engin_islamabadhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_nust_islamabadhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_engin_swabihttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_engin_lahorehttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_MUET_Jamshorohttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_UET_Taxilahttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_Com&Emer_islamabadhttp://www.hec.gov.pk/new/QualityAssurance/Univ_ranking/Ranking_univ_COMSATS_islamabad.htmhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_Engg_peshawarhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_Engg_karachihttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_engin_islamabadhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_nust_islamabadhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_engin_swabihttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_engin_lahorehttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_MUET_Jamshorohttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_UET_Taxilahttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_Com&Emer_islamabadhttp://www.hec.gov.pk/new/QualityAssurance/Univ_ranking/Ranking_univ_COMSATS_islamabad.htmhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_Engg_peshawarhttp://hec.gov.pk/QALI/Others_QALI/Ranking_Universities.html@Ranking_univ_Engg_karachi


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Pictures of Six Campuses with Establishment Dates

Dr. S.M Junaid Zaidi (SI), Founder and Rector CIIT Sahiwal Campus established on December 2006

Islamabad campus established on April 1998 Wah campus established on September 2001

Lahore campus established on January 2002 Abbottabad campus established on July 2001

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Attock campus established on April 2004

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